A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8340553 Details
Epoch: 391 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 83604010 epoch_slot_no: 55210 block_no: 8340376 slot_leader_id: 4569197 size: 51446 time: 2023-01-31 13:05:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x27558d3ae3755626d8a2288c06c73802dc5e5cd171e1e4e7decfafa583eb01a6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fu2vy36f5je5nz9qex83agkxqcs29kfwdty63hdm0vgwdzm2hvpqea7zl7 op_cert: \x3ce1a8bc26cd5ba533688c6669d15f9ea58a05a312e3a2aa26bc928b0f7487be op_cert_counter: 11